The night in Aljucén was really like stepping back in time. The little Bar Sergio was opened in 1976 and hasn't changed since. Tim and I had a menu of the day sitting in the little dining room, warmed by a gas heater, and surrounded by bullfighting photos. The soup was rustic broth with chick peas. Meat and salad followed and then an orange. Simple but effective, with wine and a very good brandy to follow. It was enough to bring on sleep immediately, a process not hindered by the fleecy brushed cotton sheets.
Aljucén woke up to heavy mist. We woke up to the realisation that the bar which does breakfast was closed on Tuesday. So, after Mass, we had to make do with hot milk and Magdalena cakes before setting off on the 32km trek. During the first 16km there is not one house even as a sign of civilisation. The first quarter of the journey was through a natural park land called the Parque Natural de Cornalvo. The sign at the entrance to the park told us how they are very proud of their long horned Holm Oak beetles. We didn't see any. However, we did see the remaining foundations of a bridge built during the reign of the Emperor Trajan as a crossing to the River Aljucén.
As we emerged from the park, the sun put in a powerful appearance, and the temperature rose. At 16km the path turned towards the town of Alcuéscar, and the first signs of human life appeared. On arrival in the lower part of the town, we met a jolly inmate of the senior citizens' home. By the look of it, it was a place run by nuns. The cheerful inmate asked if we were looking for the pilgrim hostal. I said we were not, as we were carrying on through. He immediately guessed our destination: Aldea del Cano. He helpfully showed us the bar which was to host our lunch break and indicated the continuation of the Camino path. The bar was a very welcome stopping point. Two shandies and a Spanish tortilla sandwich were very adequate for satisfying the immediate needs. The tapas given to accompany the drinks were patatas alioli, where the beaten oil was hiding a huge amount of raw garlic, and Madrid style tripe. No nonsense food.
Once back on the Camino, for the final 14km, we could see over on the motorway a cloud of thick black smoke. It only transpired later that it was a bus that had gone up in flames and was completely destroyed. Fortunately, no human casualties. The path alternated between clay, and and soft earth. Bypassing the reservoir of the River Ayuela, we arrived at the town of Casas de Don Antonio. It is an interesting site with a medieval foot bridge.
During the last section of the Camino the sun was very low in the sky, making seeing difficult. Once the sun set, the increasing darkness meant that following the earth path just parallel to the N630 became difficult. So the last few kilometres were walked on the main road. So effective has been the motorway in taking traffic off this road, there were no more than ten vehicles which passed us on the approach to Aldea del Cano. The village is small but has a very well appointed Plaza Mayor with church and town hall, and our lodge for the night, yet another Casa Rural.
No comments:
Post a Comment